Rail-sander.



PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

J. c. THOMPSON. RAIL $ANDER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

R O T N E V m WWW.

J (mes G .Thomgson PATENTE'D JUNE 30, 1903.

I. G. THOMPSON.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

o o u @1 W0 m a. a. g mp mm m 3 a? in N. k m 1 9w 3 2. 3 a a.

WITNESSES INVENTOR James C.Thnmpson, b gh'lsflfiumgg- THE uonms rzr'zns00,, momumo" WASNI new. a c.

UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OF ICE.

RAIL-SANDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 732,325, dated June 30,1903.

Application filed March 10, 1903. $erialNo-147,164. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES C. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at VVilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements inRail-Sanders, of which the following is a specification.

In the accompanying drawings, which make partof this specification,Figure I is a bottom plan View of a car, showing the application of oneform of my invention Fig. II,a side elevation of the lower part of acar, showing the same form of my invention; Fig. III, a bottom plan viewof a car, showing the application of another form of my invention; and

Fig. IV, a side elevation of the, lower part of levers 44, 45, 46, and47.

a car, showing the latter form of my invention.

My invention relates to sanding mechanism for cars; and its object is toprovide such a mechanism which may be operated from either end orplatform of the car to apply sand or other material to the rail eitherinfront of or in rear of the wheels. In ascending grades it may benecessary to apply sand in front of the wheels to make the wheel takehold of the rails, or in case a car commences to back down a grade toapply sand behind the wheels.

My invention has all the advantages of a sander for applying sand infront of the wheels and in addition thereto of preventing accidents bythe application of sand behind backwardly-movin g wheels.

Referring to Figs. I and II, 1 is a car provided with the platforms 2and 3. At the usual places within the car-that is, at the sidesthereofand under theseats(notshown)- are sand boxes or reservoirs 4, eachprovided with two spouts arranged to drop sand in front of the end pairof wheels at each end of the car. The spouts are given the numerals 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and the sets of wheels adjacent to thespouts are given the numerals 13, 14, 15, and 16, the arrangement of thenumerals being such that the pair of spouts 5 and 6 sand wheels 13, thepair 7 and 8 the wheels 14, and the pair 9 and 10 the wheels 15, and thepair 11 and 12 the wheels 16.

The sides of the car are provided with doors 17, through which sand canbe put intoboxes 4 without raising the car-seats, as is the usualpractice.

The spouts 5 to 12 are provided with sliding gates or valves 18 to 25,respectively, which when moved in a direction away from the spoutspermits sand from the boxes 4 to drop down upon the rails, the top ofone of which may be considered to be represented by the line 26 on Fig.II.

Beneath the car-body are journaled transversely-of the car therock-shafts 27, 28, 29, and 30, having rigidly thereondownwardlyextending arms 31, 32, 33, and 34, respectively, and normallyhorizontal arms 35. These arms and the valves 18 to 25 are pivotallyconnected by links 36 43, respectively.

On the platforms 2 and 3 are pivoted hand- The upper ends of theselevers are within reach of the motorman, and their lower ends, which arebelow rock-shaft 28, which, through links 38 and 39, withdraws thevalves 19 and 21 from beneath the sand in spouts 6 and 8, whereupon thesand falls down the saidspouts and upon both rails. If the car shouldbegin to back,

the motorman pulls the lever toward him,

as shown, which, drawing the link forward, rocks the shaft 29, therebycausing a pull on the links 40 and 41 and the valves 22 and. 24. Thevalves 22 and 24 are shown withdrawn, permitting sand to drop down thespouts 9 and 1.1 behind the wheels 15 and 16. If the car was moving tothe left, the operation would be the same, except that in case sand wasto be put in front of the wheels 14 and 15 the valves 23 and 25 would beoperated by the lever 47, which corresponds to lever 44, and in casesand was to be dropped back of wheels 13 and 1 4 the valves 18 and 20would be operated by lever 46, which corresponds to lever 45.

Referring now to Figs. III and IV, 52 rep resents the car, and 53 and545 the platforms. The sand-boxes are designated as 55, and the doorsfor filling the same with sand are indicated by 56. The sand-boxes areprovided with spouts 57, 58, 59, and 60, which are arranged to drop sandupon the rails. The car has but four wheels, (designated by the numerals61, 62, 63, and 64.) The spouts 57 to 60 have the valves to 68,respectively, which are connected, respectively, with the levers 69 to72 by means of the respective links 73 to 76. The levers 69 to 72 areconnected, respectively, to the lower ends of the levers 77 to 80 bymeans of the respective links 81 to 84. The levers 69 to 72 are likelevers 44 to 47 of Figs. I and II.

The operation of the second form of my invention is as follows: The carbeing supposed to go to the right sand will be dropped in front of thewheel 62 by the motorman pulling back the lever 78, which draws forwardthe link 82, lever 70, link 74L, and valve 66, allowing sand to falldown spout 58. If the car begins to back, sand will be dropped behindthe wheel 64 by the operation of the lever 80, which draws forward thelink 84, the lever 72, the link 76, and the valve 68, letting sand falldown the spout 60. If the car is going to the left and sand is needed infront of wheel 63, the lever 79 will be operated, which will drawforward the links 83 and 75, the lever 71, and the valve 67, per-,

mitting sand to fall down the spout 59. If the car should back, sand maybe dropped back of the wheel 61 by pulling the lever 77, which drawsforward the links 73 and 81, the lever 69, and the valve 65, allowingsand to drop down the spout 57.

It will be noted that in Figs. I and II sand is always dropped on bothrails at each actuation of the lever by the motorman, while incompartments for containing sand or the like, means for conveying thesand or the like from said compartments to the rails in front of andbehind the wheels, valves for controlling the flow of the sand or thelike and means on each platform for controlling the said valves.

2. A railway-car, compartments for containing sand or the like, aplatform on each end of the car, means on each platform and connectionstherefrom to the compartments for controlling the flow of the sand orthe like either in front of or behind the wheels at will.

3. A railway-car, compartments for containing sand or the like, pipesfrom the compartments so arranged as to conduct the sand or the like infront of and behind the wheels, valves controlling the flow of the sandor the like from the compartments, rock-shafts on the car, arms on therock-shafts, platforms at each end of the car, two levers on eachplatform, connections from the levers and from the valves to the saidarms, so arranged that the levers on each platform control the valvesfor the dropping of the sand or the like in front of or behind thewheels.

4. A railway-car having a platform, compartments for sand or the like,means for conveying the sand or the like so that it may fall in front ofand behind one or more of the carwheels, valves for controlling theflowof the sand or the like, mechanical connections from the valves to theplatform, and means located on the platform for controlling the saidconnections so that the sand or the like may be dropped in front of orbehind the said wheel or wheels.

5. A railway-car having a platform, oompartments for sand or the like,means for conveying the sand or the like so that it may fall in front ofand behind one or more of the carwheels, valves for controlling the flowof the sand or the like, mechanical connections from the valves to theplatform, and separate means located on the platform for controlling thesaid connections so that the sand or the like may be dropped in-front ofor behind the said wheel or wheels.

Signed at Pittsburg,Pennsylvania,this 28th day of February, 1903.

JAMES C. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

F. N. BARBER, M. A. BUSHMAN.

